American Samoa
Click here for the Pacific Newsroom
16,490
Total Church Membership
Population vs. Church Members
5
Stakes
43
Congregations
4
Family History Centers
History
In May 1843, 13 years after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in the United States, four men were sent to be missionaries in the islands of the Pacific.
Elder Joseph H. Dean and his wife, Florence Ridges Dean, arrived in Samoa in 1888. Missionaries were again sent to Tutuila. By 1891 the mission in Samoa, with headquarters near Apia, was developing steadily. The first branch (a small congregation) was started in Pago Pago on May 27, 1893, and before the turn of the century, 11 branches had been organized on the island.
On November 26, 1906, a Relief Society organization for the women was founded at Mapusaga with 14 members enrolled. A Primary organization for the children was organized May 24, 1908. A Church village with a school and a supporting plantation was founded at Mapusaga May 10, 1903. In 1938, the Boy Scout organization was started at Mapusaga.
Missionaries were recalled in 1940 prior to World War II because of troubled conditions, and local members assumed more leadership responsibilities. After the war, missionaries returned and the work accelerated. A stake (diocese) was created in Pago Pago in 1969. In 1989, Eni F. (Hunkin Jr.) Faleomavaega, former lieutenant governor of American Samoa, became the first Samoan member of the Church elected to be a non-voting member of the 101st United States Congress.
During hurricanes in February 1990 and December 1991, members suffered considerable losses but local units responded well in dealing with the devastation. Membership in 1990 was 7,500, increasing to about 12,000 in 1994. Today, more than one in four American Samoans are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For Journalist Use Only
Richard Hunter
New Zealand
Phone: 64(9)488-5572
Mobile: 64-21-240-7804
Africa
Total Church Membership
666,508
Members
2,327
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
4Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,230,515
Members
2,130
Congregations
Missions
44Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
8Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
497,436
Members
1,374
Congregations
Missions
34Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,419,307
Members
18,256
Congregations
Missions
173Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
110Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
572,895
Members
1,283
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
Family History Centers
Temples
10Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,178,375
Members
5,570
Congregations